A MANAGER at a children's epilepsy charity plundered the organisation of nearly £3,000 and tried to pin the blame on work colleagues.

Nicola Linton, 43, forged the signatures of fellow staff members at the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) in Lingfield on cash vouchers to defraud the charity where she had worked for 20 years.

Judge Peter Moss, sitting at Guildford Crown Court, heard that money that was drawn from the charity's funds for items of expenditure at the centre was used by the defendant for her own purposes.

Linton, who claimed she had been the victim of bullying at work, started swindling the NCYPE after she had returned to work following a period of suspension from her post as a house manager for the organisation.

When she was eventually found out and arrested on April 21 last year, she claimed she had been "set up" by others. It was disclosed at a hearing on Monday (April 11).

Mother-of-two Linton, of Estcots Drive, East Grinstead, pleaded guilty to fraud on the day of her proposed trial – having denied her wrong-doing since she first appeared before magistrates at Redhill in September last year.

She was remanded on bail until May 9 for pre-sentence reports by Judge Moss who warned her that she faced being jailed.

"It was a gross breach of trust," he said.

Iestyn Morgan, prosecuting, said: "There was also the suspicion thrown by the defendant on to others."

Judge Moss added: "It is also her first admission of these offences and it doesn't stand her in very good stead.

“It absolutely crosses the custody threshold. The question is whether to suspend the sentence or not. It's a serious matter and a late plea."

He warned Linton: "The repayment of this money ought to be at the forefront of your mind."

The single count of fraud, involving £2,725 between January 5 and April 21 last year, replaced the 20-count indictment involving £3,647 presented at the plea and case management hearing in February this year.

Mr Morgan said that members of staff at the charity would have given evidence at a trial to deny that signatures bearing their names on the relevant pieces of paper were not theirs.

The court was told that some of the funds misappropriated had been used to buy goods from IKEA and also alcohol.

Mr Morgan said: "On November 25, 2009, the defendant was suspended from managing a children's house over issues of her management."

He said she had gone back to work at the charity on January 4 last year (2010).

"It was after her return that this pattern of offending began," said Mr Morgan.

Judge Moss said: "It smacks of 'yah boo sucks' for something that may or may not have happened a year earlier."

Mr Morgan said that the defendant had claimed she had suffered "bullying" involving another person working for the charity.

"She maintained that she must have been set up," he said.

The court heard that the defendant was separated from her husband and had a new partner who had previously worked at the charity's premises.

David Jubb, defending, said: "That relationship has led to hostility towards her.

“All was not well at work, despite my client having had an unblemished record.